Miguel Almirón Becomes Atlanta United's All-Time Assists Leader in 2-1 Win Over Sporting KC

Miguel Almirón needed 13 minutes on Sunday night to rewrite the Atlanta United record book. The rest of the evening was about hanging on.

Almirón set up Tomás Jacob for the opener, Fafà Picault doubled the lead from a corner in the 24th minute, and Atlanta United beat Sporting Kansas City 2-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Stephen Afrifa pulled one back for Sporting in the 70th minute, but Atlanta held on for a third straight league win, which the AP called the club's first three-match MLS winning streak in five years.

Almirón Makes History Early

Atlanta came out on the front foot and stayed there for most of the first half. Alexey Miranchuk had an early shot blocked, and in the 13th minute Almirón lost his marker and sent a ball toward the back post, where Jacob arrived to volley it high into the net from close range for 1-0.

According to Atlanta United, that assist was Almirón's 42nd with the club, moving him past Brooks Lennon as the franchise's all-time leader. For Jacob, a right back, it was a second straight league match with a goal. The club says he is the first Atlanta defender to score in consecutive regular-season matches since Lennon in July 2023.

Sporting had a couple of looks in response. Taylor Calheira headed a Lasse Berg Johnsen corner narrowly off target in the 16th minute, and Calvin Harris sent a shot from distance just over in the 20th. Almirón forced a save from Stefan Cleveland in the 19th.

Then Atlanta struck again off a set piece. Elías Báez headed toward goal twice in the 23rd and 24th minutes, and on the second sequence his flick fell for Picault, who poked it into the bottom left corner from close range. ESPN credits Báez with the assist; Atlanta also credited Almirón with a secondary assist for delivering the corner, which the club counts as his 43rd. Four minutes later Almirón nearly scored himself, hitting the left post from the middle of the box.

Sporting Grows Into It

Sporting lost Jake Davis to an injury in first-half stoppage time, with Justin Reynolds replacing him. At halftime, per the club, Atlanta unveiled new designated player Breel Embolo to the crowd. The AP reported the club had acquired the Swiss international striker from Stade Rennais earlier in the day.

The second half was a different game. Sporting held more of the ball, sent in cross after cross and pushed Atlanta deeper. Raphael Wicky sent on Jayden Reid and Afrifa in the 62nd minute, and Afrifa delivered eight minutes later, pouncing on a loose ball in the middle of the box and finishing low into the bottom right corner. The goal was unassisted.

"With the goal, I feel like it was a little fortunate dropping back to me the way it did," Afrifa said. "It's a finish we work on a lot with Dom (Kinnear) in training so just more muscle memory."

Tata Martino moved to steady the defense, sending on Stian Gregersen for Paulo Díaz in the 73rd minute. Steven Alzate came on in the 77th, and Matt Edwards entered in the 78th after Luke Brennan, a 62nd-minute substitute, had to come off because of an injury. Báez picked up a yellow card in the 76th minute, which the AP said would suspend him for a match on accumulation. Sporting's last real chances came in stoppage time, with a blocked Harris shot and a Moisés Mosquera header over the bar.

The Captain and the Supporting Cast

Almirón's line in ESPN's data reads one assist, two shots and a post, but the club's count, with the secondary assist, gives him a hand in both goals. Either way, he was the most dangerous player on the field.

Jacob scored with his only shot. Picault, per the AP, now has three goals in his first 14 matches with Atlanta. Tristan Muyumba was tidy in midfield, and Atlanta says he completed 48 of 49 passes. Díaz, making his first start for the club, played 73 minutes, and the club credited him with eight interceptions.

On the Sporting side, Afrifa made the most of his cameo. Cleveland made one save, and Sporting's back line was punished by set pieces again, which Wicky did not hide from.

"It's very, very frustrating because we give the game away again with a set piece, which is concentration and responsibility," Wicky said. "We have to man up there."

The Turning Point: The 24th-Minute Corner

Sporting's second-half push showed what a 1-0 game might have looked like. The Picault goal off a corner meant Sporting needed two, and it only ever found one. Wicky, who felt his side were better than three or four months earlier, still left frustrated. "I believe that we would have deserved a point tonight," he said.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: 8 apiece.
• Shots on target: Atlanta 3, Sporting 1, and that one went in.
• Crosses: Sporting attempted 25 crosses to Atlanta's five.
• Corners: Sporting 6, Atlanta 2, but Atlanta scored from one of its two.
• Clearances: Atlanta made 28 to Sporting's 11.

What It Means

Atlanta moved to 6-3-12 with 21 points. After wins over the Red Bulls on Aug. 15, at Minnesota on Aug. 19 and now Sporting, Atlanta finished the day three points out of the East's final playoff spot, per the AP. Rival Charlotte FC visits Mercedes-Benz Stadium next.

Sporting fell to 4-3-14 with 15 points, the fewest in MLS according to the AP. Sporting is winless in five league matches and has scored two goals in that span. The AP added that Sporting held out leading scorer Dejan Joveljic amid rumors of a trade to Seattle. The Vancouver Whitecaps visit next.

Main Character Energy

Every franchise has a player who becomes the face of an era, and Atlanta's record book now says Almirón is that guy when it comes to setting up goals. On a night with an Embolo unveiling, a three-game streak and a nervy finish, he was still the main character.

Afrifa kept it simple about his goal: "I'm just glad that it went in." For Atlanta, three straight wins and a record-setting captain will do just fine.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by Sporting Kansas City (sportingkc.com); additional details from the AP and Atlanta United (atlutd.com).